Partner's general description and participants

The National Reference Centre (NRC) is part of the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority. The NRC is responsible for generating scientific knowledge, inside (inter)national research projects, focusing on phytosanitary organisms. Research activities deal with the biology, epidemiology, diagnosis and eradication of these organisms. This knowledge forms actually the basis for performing Pest Risk Analysis and consequently for policy making, at a national, as well as, an international level. Additionally, the NRC plays an important role in providing guidance at private diagnostic laboratories and at the inspection bodies. In this way, the NRC forms an essential part of the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority into its international role as NPPO (National Plant Protection Organisation). The NRC numbers over 50 staff, specialists in diagnostics, taxonomy, risk assessment and R&D. The NRC has its focus on the development, implementation and validation of detection and identification methods, especially for quarantine pathogens and pests and confirmatory diagnosis of these statutory organisms.

NVWA will be WP leader in collaboration with NIB for WP1. The NRC will organise Test Performance Studies (TPS), supervise the organisations of TPS by other partners and participate in organised TPS. NVWA will also participate to WP3, WP5, WP6 and WP8.

Participants

Marcel is molecular biologist and responsible for the scientific output of the Molecular Biology group of the National Reference Centre (NRC) of the National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO) in the Netherlands. He was trained as biotechnologist at the Wageningen University and graduated in Production Ecology and Resource Conservation on the PhD theses ‘Functional analysis of a novel baculovirus envelope fusion protein’ at the Wageningen University in 2004. After his PhD he has worked as postdoc on gene functions of and vaccine development against invertebrate viruses and viral gene therapy at the Wageningen university and King’s College London respectively.
He started working in 2011 as molecular biologist at the NPPO. Since 2016 he is co-leading the Molecular Biology group and responsible for a variety of tasks, including diagnostics, nucleic acid collection, research on molecular biology test development and validation, organization of test performance studies, training, and advice for policy makers.

Bart is molecular biologist and holds final responsibility for the scientific output of the Molecular Biological group of the National Reference Centre (NRC) of the National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO) in the Netherlands. He was trained as biotechnologist at the Fontys University of Applied Sciences in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, and is currently working part-time as a PhD student at Wageningen University on a comparative genomics project to detect and functionally analyse avirulence genes in Synchytrium endobioticum, the causal agent of potato wart disease. The thesis defence is expected April 2019.
Bart started working as molecular biologist at the NPPO in 2004. Since 2012 he is leading the Molecular Biology group and responsible for a variety of tasks, including diagnostics, nucleic acid collection, research on molecular biology test development and validation, organization of test performance studies, training, and providing advice to policy makers.

Annelien is plant virologist and responsible for the scientific output of the Virology group of the National Reference Centre (NRC) of the National Plant Protection Organization (NPPO) in the Netherlands. She was trained as biologist at the University of Utrecht and graduated in agricultural sciences on the PhD theses ‘Early stages in cowpea chlorotic mottle virus infection’ at Wageningen University in 1989. Since 1989 she is leading the Virology group and responsible for a variety of tasks, including diagnostics, plant virus collection, research on biology and epidemiology, test development and validation, training, pest risk assessment and advice for policy makers.

This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement n°773139.

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